Gorilla Girl (Fahnbullah Eddy) is a fictional superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Gorilla Girl
Gorilla Girl in her gorilla form, as depicted in Avengers: The Initiative #13 (July 2008).
Art by Steve Uy.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceMarvel Team-Up #91
(March 1980)
Created bySteven Grant
Pat Broderick
In-story information
Alter egoFahnbullah Eddy
Team affiliationsThe Freaks
Initiative
Notable aliasesGorilla Woman
AbilitiesAbility to shapeshift into a super-strong and highly agile gorilla

Publication history

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Gorilla Girl first appeared in Marvel Team-Up #91 (March 1980), and was created by Steven Grant and Pat Broderick. She made her first full appearance years later in Marvel Tales #256, which reprinted the Marvel Team-Up story and added a new story featuring her and other circus freaks. She has since appeared in various comics as a member of the Freaks, the Initiative, and Counter Force. She has also crossed over with other Marvel universes, such as Marvel Apes and Marvel Zombies. In her earliest appearances, she was portrayed (in her human form) as an attractive, fully mature, woman, but in her later appearances, she is implied to be a teenage girl.

Fictional character biography

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Fahnbullah Eddy,[1] originally known as Gorilla Woman, is first seen serving as a carnival attraction as one of the members of a group called the Freaks. She possesses the ability to transform into a gorilla, but her origin is never explained. When Peter Parker came to visit the carnival, he realized that the Freaks, along with Ghost Rider, had been enslaved by the sorcerer Moondark, who forced them to battle Spiderman. After Parker manage to free Ghost Rider, the two found a way to release the captured souls from Moondark's orb, freeing the carnies and defeating the sorcerer in the process.[2][3] After their escape, Gorilla Girl and the Freaks rescued the innocent Dr. Melloncamp from the two criminals Hammer and Anvil.[3][4]

After the events of the "Civil War", Gorilla Girl was captured by the Thunderbolts. During her capture, she threw Penance down three whole flights of stairs, after which Penance beat her severely.[5] She later registered with the Initiative and joined Camp Hammond along with Annex, Prodigy, and others.[6][7]

During the Skrull invasion, she is one of the Initiative members to go into battle in Times Square. They join the 'Young Avengers' and are saved by the 'Secret Commandos'.[8] Afterwards, Gorilla Girl asked to be put in the Initiative reserves. However, before she gets very far, the Thor clone attacks Camp Hammond, and Gorilla Girl fights him before Counter Force intervenes.[9]

Gorilla Girl later befriends the alternate universe simian version of Speedball, another Initiative recruit. She becomes involved in the plan of Norman Osborn to exploit the resources of her friend's home dimension. The two also work with Gibbon (another simian superhuman) as well as Red Ghost's Super-Apes.[10][11]

When Gorilla Girl, Speedball, and Gibbon end up in the Marvel Apes universe, they find themselves during an invasion by the Marvel Zombies. Gorilla Girl shifted into her gorilla form and ripped off Zombie Medusa's hair to protect them. Just as they were about to be overwhelmed, a group of Marvel Apes appeared and helped to fight the Marvel Zombies. Gorilla Girl thinks that the simian version of Captain America can get them back to the Marvel Apes universe. Using the Wrencher, Gorilla Girl was able to destroy the Zombie Green Goblin. When Zombie Doctor Doom proved too much for Gorilla Girl, the Super-Apes were able to defeat them. Upon encountering a human Magneto, the simian Speedball figures out that they are in the Marvel Zombies universe. As Ape X plans to destroy the portal, he says goodbye to Gorilla Girl. However, Gorilla Girl kneed him when his guard was down so that she could go in his place. Using the Wrencher's wrench, Gorilla Girl attacked the simian heroes and destroyed the portal, setting time right.[12]

Personality and traits

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Eddy is shown to be rebellious, flirtatious, and coy but also brave and loyal to her friends. She is quick to defend her loved ones when they are threatened and is capable of great acts of self-sacrifice.

In her first incarnation, Gorilla Girl/Woman's human form is an adult woman. But in later incarnations, she appears to be much younger, implied to be a teenager.

In her gorilla form, she appears as a bulky, sometimes frightening, ape. However, it is only her body that changes; her personality remains the same in both forms.

Powers and abilities

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Fahnbullah Eddy can shapeshift into a super-strong and highly agile gorilla, where she retains her human mind and speech capability.

In other media

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Gorilla Girl appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel's Avengers, voiced by Cherise Boothe.[13]

References

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  1. ^ Civil War: Battle Damage Report
  2. ^ Marvel Team-Up #91. Marvel Comics.
  3. ^ a b Freaks at The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
  4. ^ Marvel Tales #256. Marvel Comics.
  5. ^ Thunderbolts: Desperate Measures. Marvel Comics.
  6. ^ Avengers: The Initiative #13. Marvel Comics.
  7. ^ Preview: Avengers:The Initiative #13
  8. ^ Brian Michael Bendis (w), Leinil Francis Yu (p), Mark Morales (i), Secret Invasion #5–6 (October–November 2008). Marvel Comics.
  9. ^ Dan Slott (w), Humberto Ramos (a), Avengers: The Initiative #21 (March 2009). Marvel Comics.
  10. ^ Karl Kesel (w), Reilly Brown (p), "This Man... This Monkey!", Marvel Apes: Grunt Line Special (July, 2009). Marvel Comics.
  11. ^ Preview: Marvel Apes: Grunt Line Special
  12. ^ Marvel Zombies: Evil Evolution #1. Marvel Comics.
  13. ^ "Gorilla Girl Voice". Behind the Voice Actors. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
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